Fazolo: Serbs in Kosovo have been in a cage for 26 years, EU does not understand the essence of the problem

Italian journalist and Metamorphosis podcast host Alberto Fazolo stated that Serbs in Kosovo have been in a "cage" for 26 years, and that it is a horrifying realization for Europe, which still does not understand the core of the issue.

By: Djordje Barovic

Fazolo visited Kosovo in 2000, when he accompanied Italian Carabinieri to North Mitrovica.

“I saw the cage. I saw people living like animals in a zoo. And that was a horrifying realization for me, because I knew very well that the responsibility lay with everyone who was in Kosovo at the time, and that was solely Western countries, among them, my own, Italy. That is why I felt guilty, and thought it was unacceptable to simply observe this mockery of justice,” Fazolo told Kosovo Online.

He explained that the Serbs at the time had told him about the hardships they were facing in everyday life.

“The entire situation felt like a nightmare, and even they themselves couldn’t believe it was actually happening to them. These are people with strong memories, who fought as partisans for freedom during World War II against the occupiers. They told me they had managed to survive up until 1945, but weren’t sure they could make it through the present. Those were truly powerful statements that shocked me. I asked myself why the West was abandoning these people and not helping them,” Fazolo said.

He added that the situation of Serbs in Kosovo has not changed even 25 years later.

“To me, that position seems like a ticking time bomb that will explode eventually. It is impossible to stay in such a situation forever. It is not right, it is not a humane solution. It’s exploiting what could be done within a dying system. A new world order began about 25 years ago with this war. It was a world where the United States was the only global power and thought it could pull the strings and reshape the geography of states,” Fazolo said.

He believes the world has since changed and is moving toward a multipolar system where all countries can advocate for their international and geopolitical interests.

“I don’t think Kosovo and Serbia are alone, they have strong international allies, and all of them will support the fight for freedom and justice, not just in Kosovo, but throughout the Balkans,” the Italian journalist said confidently.

He says that neither NATO nor KFOR fulfilled their fundamental missions in Kosovo, and that the reasons lie in either the indifference or powerlessness of both the US and the EU.

“Kosovo is a very important military base for the US, and that is all that matters to them. They don’t care about anything else. They don’t care whether Kosovo is run by the mafia or is a narco-state,” Fazolo asserted.

He stressed that the EU’s stance is different, but the key issue is its lack of understanding of what Kosovo truly is.

“I think they are too stupid to understand what Kosovo is, what kind of problem it represents, and what contradictions it brings to the European continent, not just to the EU. You need to know that drug and arms trafficking passes through Kosovo into all parts of Europe. It’s possible that the EU lacks the strength to ask the US to change its approach to Kosovo, because the EU is America’s ‘pet,’ and its voice is not strong enough to be heard in Washington to explain the problems Kosovo is creating for the entire European continent,” Fazolo insisted.

He doubts that a new US administration will have any interest in dealing with Kosovo, even in the event of an escalation.

“You should keep in mind that NATO is currently very weak. I don’t believe that under President Trump the US will be interested in local conflicts in the Balkans. If something happens, the US will stay far away and won’t intervene. The EU also won’t be able to go to war. So, don’t be scared about them. If anyone makes that kind of mistake, they’ll pay a high price,” Fazolo said.

He also warned about Turkey’s increasingly significant presence in the Western Balkans.

“Turkey is a very large country with a very strong military and very good weaponry. If it intervenes, either directly or by supporting other countries with its troops or paramilitary units, the situation would become much more difficult. Still, I don’t believe Turkey will be allowed to do something like it did in the past. Italy wouldn’t allow Turkey to act against Italian interests anywhere in the world,” Fazolo emphasized.